Should we leave them alone? Yesterday the Europa Clipper probe set out to visit one of Jupiter’s moons, with some scientists hoping that it will find evidence of life.
Blast off for alien-hunter spaceship
Should we leave them alone? Yesterday the Europa Clipper probe set out to visit one of Jupiter's moons, with some scientists hoping that it will find evidence of life.
Yesterday, at 5:06pm British Summer Time, the Europa Clipper spacecraft rose into the air. Its journey will take it 390 million miles to Europa, one of JupiterThe largest planet in our solar system. It is a gas giant. 's 95 moons.
Europa is covered in a sheet of ice up to 15km thick. Below that there could be a huge ocean with the basic ingredients of life.
The James Webb space telescopeA high resolution space telescope that overtook the capabilities of the Hubble telescope. It was launched in December 2021. has taken pictures of what look like plumes of water rising 100 miles above Europa's surface.
For life to exist you need three things, says Professor Michelle Dougherty of Imperial College London, "Liquid water, a heat source and organic material. Finally, those three ingredients need to be stable over a long enough period of time that something can happen." 1
Europa is just one of several projects to look for alien life. A probe called the Venus Life Finder is scheduled to blast off at the end of December. The hope is that it will detect organic compounds in the planet's atmosphereThe layer of gases surrounding a planet or moon, held in place by that planet's gravity. Small planets and moons have weak gravitational fields, and therefore only a very thin atmosphere..
NasaThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme. recently started work on an enormous telescopeA device which makes things look nearer than they are. called the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Its aim is to identify 25 planets and moons that could hold life.
Space exploration took a big step forward on Sunday with an extraordinary test carried out by SpaceXFounded in 2002 by South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX's mission is to reduce the cost of space transportation to make possible the colonisation of Mars..
It succeeded in launching a Starship rocket with a Super Heavy booster which then returned to its base. There it was caught by two giant robotic arms. This opens the way for spacecraft to be used again and again, making space travel much cheaper.
But many people worry about whether it is a good idea to search for aliens. As Mark Buchanan writes in The Washington Post, any we find would probably be far more advanced than we are. This is because most other stars in our galaxy A system of millions or billions of stars, gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction. are much older than the Sun.
History shows the danger of such meetings: the more advanced civilisationAny complex society, with advanced ways of living, working and organising group structure. E.g. The British civilisation. usually destroys or enslaves the other.
Should we leave them alone?
Yes: Looking for them is just too great a risk. Mark Buchanan is right to point out that they are likely to be more technically sophisticated than us and able to wipe out humanity if they want to.
No: They could very well be friendly, and have advanced technology they could share with us to solve many of the Earth's greatest problems - particularly global warming - and save us from extinction.
Or... It may be that they have already found us. Perhaps Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'. is an alien who is trying to build a spacecraft to take him home, as in the novel and film The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Jupiter - The largest planet in our solar system. It is a gas giant.
James Webb Space Telescope - A high resolution space telescope that overtook the capabilities of the Hubble telescope. It was launched in December 2021.
Atmosphere - The layer of gases surrounding a planet or moon, held in place by that planet's gravity. Small planets and moons have weak gravitational fields, and therefore only a very thin atmosphere.
Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.
Telescope - A device which makes things look nearer than they are.
SpaceX - Founded in 2002 by South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX's mission is to reduce the cost of space transportation to make possible the colonisation of Mars.
Galaxy - A system of millions or billions of stars, gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.
Civilisation - Any complex society, with advanced ways of living, working and organising group structure. E.g. The British civilisation.
Elon Musk - A South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'.
Blast off for alien-hunter spaceship

Glossary
Jupiter - The largest planet in our solar system. It is a gas giant.
James Webb Space Telescope - A high resolution space telescope that overtook the capabilities of the Hubble telescope. It was launched in December 2021.
Atmosphere - The layer of gases surrounding a planet or moon, held in place by that planet's gravity. Small planets and moons have weak gravitational fields, and therefore only a very thin atmosphere.
Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.
Telescope - A device which makes things look nearer than they are.
SpaceX - Founded in 2002 by South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, SpaceX's mission is to reduce the cost of space transportation to make possible the colonisation of Mars.
Galaxy - A system of millions or billions of stars, gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.
Civilisation - Any complex society, with advanced ways of living, working and organising group structure. E.g. The British civilisation.
Elon Musk - A South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. He now controls Twitter, renamed 'X'.